Circuit breaker



A. MEYER ET AL CIRCUIT BREAKER Filed June 8, 1922 .7 WM 1. M

flitargzey Patented Oct. 28, 1924.

UNITED STATES PATENTJ' OFFICE.

CIRCUIT BREAKER.

Application filed June 8,

To all whom/it may concern: it known that we, ADOLPH MEYER and WiLmAM"A. Green, citizens-rot the United States, residing at Albany, county ofAl'- I bany, and State of New York, have. invented certain new. anduseful Improvements in Circuit Breakers, of which the following is aspecification.

Reference may be had to the accompany- 1 ing drawings, and the referencecharacters marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.Similar characters refer to similar parts in the several figurestherein.

The principal object of the invention is to obtain a more perfectcontact or-engagement between the points of a circuit-breaker, andparticularly .of a circuit-breaker such as is used in the ignitionsystems of auto mobiles or the like.

Other objects'.will appear in connection with the following description.

Fig. 1 of the drawings is atop plan view of a' circuit-breaker, the.general construction of which is of a well known type used in automobileignition systems; showing the contact-members mounted in accordance withmy invention.

Fig. 2 is a similar view of a broken away portion of the same on anenlarged scale and partly in cross-section.

Fig. 3 is a cross-section taken on the broken line in Fig. 2 through theshankof the contact-member mounted upon the 7 breaker-arrm.

Fig. 4 is a cross section taken on the broken line 4-4 in Fig. 2-,through oneof the contact-points.

Referring to the drawings wherein the invention is shown in preferredform, 1 is the rotor of the circuit-breaker which operates in the usualmanner, causing its cam-member, 2, to intermittently engage acam-follower, 3, on the breaker-arm, 4, to cause separation of thecontacts or breakerpoints, 5 and 6.

The return movement of the breaker-arm, 4, whereby the contacts orbreaker-points, '5 and 6 are brought together, is automatically causedby a spring, 7 in the usual 3 manner. r The'breaker-point, 6, is mountedupon the post orbracket, 8, while the breaker-point,

5, is mounted upon the breaker-arm, 4.

As shown in Fig. 2, the breaker-point, 5, is formed as part of acontact-member inbinding a. screw-thread d Shan and a 1922. Serial No.566,843.

spherical portion, 10, between the shank, 9, and the contact-point, 5.

.;The -breaker-arm, 4, is formed with a I spherical socket, 11, adaptedto receive the spherical portion, 10, of the contact-member bearing thecontact-point, 5, and provided with an aperture, 12, adapted to freelyor loosely receive said screw-threaded shank, 9. Fitting thescrew-threaded shank, 9, is a nut, 13, adapted to engage a washer, 14,

which in turn engages the breaker-arm, 4.

Between, the nut, 13, and the washer, 14, I'preferably interpose aspiral spring, 15.

The contact-member bearing the contactpoint, 5, is thus rockablymountedupon the breaker-arm, 4, can be adjusted by rocking-the sphericalportion, 10, within the socket. 11, to cause the contact-point, 5, tohear flatly against the cooperative contactpoint, 6.

In' setting up the mechanism, the nut, 13, is loosened to permit thecontact-member bearing the contact-point, 5, to be rocked :to bring itscontact-surface flatly against the contact-surfaceof the neighboringcontact-point, '6.

When the contact-member bearing the contact-point, 5, has been thusrockablv adjusted, it is secured in fixed adjusted relation to thebreaker-Farm, 4, by setting up "the nut, 13. i I am'thus able to readilymake a flat contact between the contact-points, 5 and 6.

To further facilitate adjustment of the contact-points, we preferablyform the contact-point, 6, as part of a contact-member, includingaspherical portion, 16, and a screwthreaded shank 17, which sphericalportion, 16, engages a spherical socket, 18, in the breaker-post orbracket, 8, which socket is provided with an aperture, 20, to freelyreceive the shank, 17.

Fitting the screw-threaded shank, 17, is a nut, 21, which engages thesocket, 18, through the interposed coil-spring, 22, and washer, 23.

The contact-members bearing the contactpoints, 5 and 6, can thus berocked upon their, respective supports to bring them into flat contactwith each other, and then each contact-member may be locked in fixedrelation to its respective supporting member. One or both of thecontact-points, 5 and 6, is preferably formed offset or eccentric to theaxis of its supporting member, as shown in Fig. 4, whereby we are ableby a rotative movement of said contact-member about its axis to projectits contact-point in any desired direction transversely of the axis ofthe contact-member.

Variations in vertical or horizontal position of a contact-point canthus be readily compensated for. Y

For certain purposesof the invention, one only of the contact-membersmaybe rockably or eccentrically mounted in the manner above dscribed.

The means for connecting the circuitbreaker in an electric circuit arenot shown, as the same are well understood in the art.

What we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. Inacircuit-breaker and in combination, a contact-member, and a supportingmember, said members being formed with cooperative sphericalbearing-surfaces; means for securing said contact-member in selectedangular position upon said supporting member, and rotary about itslongitudinal axis, and having its contact-end offset with respect tosaid axis; and means for securing said rotary contactmember againstrotation; and a second contact-member, one of said contact-members beingmovable toward and from the other.

2. In a circuit-breaker and in combination, a pair of contact-supportingmembers, one movable toward and from the other; a pair of contactssupported by the respective contact-supporting members, one of saidcontacts and its supporting member having cooperative sphericalbearing-surfaces, said contact-member being rotatory about itslongitudina'l axis and having an end contactsurface offset with respectto said axis; and means for securing said contact in fixed angularposition rockably and rotatively with respect to its supporting member.

3. In a circuit-breaker and in combination a support formed with aspherical socket provided with an aperture; a contact-memher having acontact-surface on one, end, a rotatable screw-threaded shank on itsother end projecting loosely through saidisocket aperture, said contactmember being arranged eccentrically with respect to the axis of theshank, and an intermediate spherical portion rockahly seated in saidsocket; a

nut on the projecting end of said shank,

\\'l1ereb v the contact-member can be secured in selected angularrelation to its support 'and laterally displaced with respect to theaxis of the contact member; and a second contact-member, one of saidcontact-members being movable toward and from the other.

4. In a circuit-breaker and in combination, a support formed with aspherical socket provided with an aperture; a contact-member havingatone end a screw- 'threadcd shank, projecting loosely through saidaperture, at its other end a contactsurface eccentric with respecttosaid shank, and an intermedlate spherical portion rockably seated insaid socket; a nut on the projecting end of said shank, whereby the con-ADOLPH MEYER.-

WILLIAM A. GLOCK.

